Keeping a Family Cow

Keeping a Family Cow, by Joann Sills Grohman, is the perfect book for anyone who has never had a cow, is just considering one, or has one and needs help. It will be useful to most small farmers because it pulls together information that is either new, poorly explained, or not to be found under one cover elsewhere. The book is well written, organized, and indexed. It places the cow and dairy products in a contemporary context. Not that it’s a thriller – it’s more of a romance – but I’ve had people say they sat up most of the night reading Keeping a Family Cow.

The book features essential info for running the small farm; tips on things like milking, feeding, stall-building, calf-care, etc.; emergency cow-care in the case of bloat or milk fever; in-depth discussions of how to buy a cow, and how to dry her off; and some thoughts on the economics of farming and food processing that may be interesting even for the non-farmer or the nutritionist/meal planner. It doesn’t just tell you how to take care of a cow, it tells you why you want one.

We do not sell Keeping a Family Cow direct; it is only available from Chelsea Green, which is based in Vermont. The pricing is very reasonable, and of course you should fill your cart with many of their other great books. (If you see Keeping a Family Cow available elsewhere it is an older edition not sanctioned by us, and does not include many updates such as breeding for A1/A2 milk).

Most orders go out the next day unless there is a real farm crisis. For inquiries contact us.

We have an active Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/keepingafamilycow